Posted on 07/06/2004 6:09:58 PM PDT by wagglebee
WASHINGTON, July 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham (news - web sites) announced today that the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Defense (DOD) have completed a joint operation to secure and remove from Iraq (news - web sites) radiological and nuclear materials that could potentially be used in a radiological dispersal device or diverted to support a nuclear weapons program.
"This operation was a major achievement for the Bush Administration's goal to keep potentially dangerous nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists," Secretary Abraham said. "It also puts this material out of reach for countries that may seek to develop their own nuclear weapons."
Twenty experts from DOE's national laboratory complex packaged 1.77 metric tons of low-enriched uranium and roughly 1000 highly radioactive sources from the former Iraq nuclear research facility. The DOD airlifted the material to the United States on June 23 and provided security, coordination, planning, ground transportation, and funding for the mission.
Due to safety and security issues surrounding the removed materials, the U.S., consistent with its authorities and relevant United Nations (news - web sites) Security Council Resolutions, took possession of, and removed the materials to ensure the safety and security of the Iraqi people.
DOE also repackaged less sensitive materials that will remain in Iraq. Radiological sources that continue to serve useful medical, agricultural or industrial purposes were not removed from Iraq.
The low enriched uranium will be stored temporarily at a secure DOE facility and the radiological sources will initially be brought to a DOE laboratory for further characterization and disposition.
The International Atomic Energy Agency was advised in advance of the U.S. intentions to remove the nuclear materials. Iraqi officials were briefed about the removal of the materials and sources prior to evacuation.
The nuclear research complex, now under the responsibility of the Iraq Ministry of Science and Technology, was once a central institution for Iraq's nuclear weapons program before being dismantled in the early 1990s, following the first Gulf War (news - web sites). The complex was also the consolidation point for highly radioactive sources collected by the Department of Defense with assistance by employees of the Ministry of Science and Technology within Iraq over the last year.
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Ping
bump
Material from Iraq's nuclear programs were secured after the first gulf war and were under IAEA supervision. Much of the stuff was looted after the invasion last year (people dumped materials and took the canisters to carry water). All of this has been widely reported (and I believe even discussed here to great extent).
Hence the "sarcasm" notation.
you have to show some patients waggle.
mastequilla, we have discussed a lot of things here that the main stream media ignores in their quest to defeat Bush. It is rather frustrating and makes me think of what it was like to have been part of Goebbels Germany while knowing what he preached were all lies and distractions.
bump
Sorry, I ran a search and somehow missed it.
no problem ... actually, the more threads the merrier, so everyone knows about it.
as a former radiation health tech for the Navy all i can say is that people would be suprised and possibly alarmed at what the U.S. has recovered and where it has been found as far as radiologicals.
"Material from Iraq's nuclear programs were secured after the first gulf war and were under IAEA supervision."
That "supervision" was up until 1998 when Saddam threw the inspectors out, correct ?
I'm not sure - I do believe that the materials were sealed up until the time the looting started (at least that is what has been widely reported).
http://www.nci.org/new/iraq-ib.htm
http://www.nci.org/02/01/16-04.htm
" Iraq has been cooperative with the Vienna-based IAEA, but has not allowed U.N. arms inspectors back to the country since 1998, accusing them of being "spies" for the U.S.."
Found an interesting statement -
"An IAEA team visited Iraq at the beginning of last year ... and was assured that Iraq's nuclear materials were in a stable state," the spokesman said."
It "was assured" that... not IT assured - sounds to me like they were assured by someone else, not that they did the assuring themselves as they were supposed to.
Why trust anyone from the UN?
Bump for your post.
I would probably scared at that knowledge.
ping
Interesting. Third article, and third source.
Sure is taking NYTimes a long time to retract "joe wilson".
I haven't seen anything about this on the cable news, do not watch the three Danny/Peter/Tommy shows.
Bump for posterity.
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